ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford University football team opened its season Saturday afternoon when the Regents welcomed the MacMurray College Highlanders to Sam Greeley Field. Saturday's matchup was a tale of two halves as the Regents dominated the first half while MacMurray controlled the second. Rockford held a 21-7 lead at halftime but unfortunately was outscored 20-0 in second as the Regents dropped their opener 27-21.
The game got off to an excellent start as Rockford took its opening possession and marched 71 yards on 10 plays capped off by an 11-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Andrew Perez (West Corina, Calif.) to Joe Breeden (Burlington, Ill.). Perez was nearly perfect on the drive completing 6-of-7 pass attempts for 54 yards including a crucial 17-yard completion on fourth and one to Mar Sean Vercher (Chicago, Ill.).
Rockford would hold onto its lead until midway through the second quarter when MacMurray was finally able to find the end zone. The Highlanders did most of their damage on the ground racking up 55 yards rushing on the drive including a 25-yard touchdown scamper to tie the game at 7-7.
Two possessions later the Regents responded with their second score of the half to jump back in front 14-7. This time Rockford used a more balanced attack as the combination of Perez and Vercher through the air was complimented nicely by the rushing attack of Tre Hatchett (Springfield, Ill.) and Jerry Henderson (Elk Grove, Ill.). Hatchett and Henderson combined to carry the ball 5 times for 32 yards while Perez connected with Vercher twice for 27 yards including a 20-yard touchdown completion to put the Regents back out in front.
With time winding down in the opening half, the Rockford defense came up big forcing a three and out to get the ball back for its offense. Freshman defensive lineman Jacob Cremeens (Roscoe, Ill.) recorded the biggest play of the series when sacked MacMurray quarterback Coy Dorothy on third an eleven to force a punt. It took the Regents offense just two plays to cover 38 yards and score their third touchdown of the half. Quarterback Andrew Perez tossed his third touchdown of the half and his second to Joe Breeden when the two connected on a 22-yard score to give Rockford a 21-7 lead entering halftime.
Following a solid first half, the second half got off to a rough start as MacMurray wasted little time cutting into Rockford's lead. The Highlanders scored on the opening possession of the half driving 65 yards on 7 plays to make it just a 21-13 game.
Rockford was able to move the ball into MacMurray territory on each of its next three possessions but was unable to come away with any points. On each drive, the Regents offense drove the ball down the field with ease but stalled just outside the red zone and ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
However, Rockford was able to hold onto its lead as the Regents defense played well during that stretch, forcing two punts and holding the MacMurray offense to just 13 yards on 9 plays. On the first of the two drives it was once again Cremeens who came through with a quarterback sack to put the Highlanders in a long down and distance situation and ultimately was forced to punt. The Rockford defense again flexed its muscles on the MacMurray's next series forcing a three and out.
Unfortunately the MacMurray offense caught fire through the air scoring touchdowns on each of its next two possessions. The Highlanders connected on a 34-yard touchdown pass to chop the Regents lead to just two points at 21-19. However, the Regents defense was able to stop the two-point conversion attempt to hold onto the lead. After recovering the onside kick near midfield, Rockford fumbled the ball on the third play of its next possession giving it right back to MacMurray with less than 3 minutes remaining. The Regents were able to force a fourth down, but the Highlanders came up with a big first down on a 13-yard completion down the middle of the field to keep the drive alive. Three plays later on third and 12, MacMurray connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to take its first lead of the game at 27-21.
Rockford had one final chance to tie or take the lead with 1:05 remaining but would need to drive 81 with just one timeout. Perez was able to move the team to midfield with a 12-yard completion to Vercher and a 23 completion to Breeden. However with the clock winding down and just a few second remaining, the Regents were forced to run one final play and heave the ball towards the end zone. As Perez dropped back to pass and fired the ball deep down the left side of the field, RU freshman wide receiver Dylan Peterson (Reynolds, Ill.) leaped into the air to make a spectacular catch. Unfortunately Rockford came up short as he landed on the 1-yard line as time expired allowing MacMurray to escape with a 27-21 win.
Offensively Rockford piled up 449 yards including 311 yards through the air. Quarterback Andrew Perez completed 23 passes for 311 yards with 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Rockford's offensive line did an excellent job protecting Perez as he was not sacked the entire game. Wide receiver Mar Sean Vercher tied the RU single-game reception record with 11 catches for 142 yards and 1 touchdown. Fellow receiver Joe Breeden caught 6 passes for 90 yards and 2 scores. Tre Hatchett led the Rockford ground attack with a team-high 14 carries for 79 yards.
Defensively Rockford had a trio of players record at least 9 tackles. Freshman Jacob Cremeens led the way with a team-high 12 tackles including 3 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Sophomore linebacker Josh Nelson (Ladd, Ill.) recorded 9 tackles including a tackle for loss and 0.5 a sack. Senior Dominique Campbell (Waterloo, Iowa) was the other Regent to tally 9 tackles including a half a tackle for loss.
The RU football team returns to the field next Saturday, September 10 at Maranatha Baptist University. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM in Watertown, Wisconsin.
